Hornets Dominate Meteors on Homecoming

Honesdale mashed Montrose Friday night for its first win of the 2012 LFC season.

By KEVIN EDWARDS

HONESDALE — A large, vocal crowd gathered under the Maple City's Friday Night Lights to watch Honesdale post its first win of the 2012 Lackawanna Football Conference season.

The Hornets turned in a stellar all-round performance, rolling to a 41-0 rout of Montrose and giving the fans what they desperately wanted: a resounding Homecoming victory.

A trio of veteran players showed the way on this crisp autumn night.Quarterback Kevin Miller dissected the Meteor defense, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another. His favorite receiver was tight end Jonathan Gillow who caught three passes, two of which went for scores.

Kyle Carney also gave Montrose fits, piling up nearly 100 yards on just nine carries. The junior scatback once again found his way into the endzone via the rush and pass.

This multi-faceted offensive attack simply overwhelmed the young Meters, a program that has now suffered 20 consecutive LFC defeats.

On the heels of its first regular season win, Honesdale now prepares to host longtime rival Carbondale Area. Opening kickoff for this Week Five contest is slated for Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

Off & RunningGillow set the tone against Montrose right off the bat.

The Meteors muffed the snap on the game's first play from scrimmage and Jon pounced on the ball. This turnover gave Honesdale possession deep in enemy territory.

Coach Ludwig called a couple of running plays to loosen up the defense, then had Miller roll right toward the visitors' sideline. As soon as he cleared the tackle box, Kevin spied Gillow open at the 5-yardline.

His pass was just a tad wide, but Gillow made a spectacular juggling catch. The 6'3" 210 pound senior secured the ball and dragged a pair of tacklers into the endzone as the crowd went wild.

Moments later, TJ Knash hammered home the first of five PATs and Honesdale had itself a 7-0 lead...one it would never relinquish.

The Red & Black defense rose to the occasion time and again in this one. All told, Coach Bob Markwith's unit allowed just 115 yards of total offense and forced five Montrose punts.

This was one of those occasions. The Meteors went three and out, kicking the ball away and giving the Hornets excellent field position.

Alex Evanitsky and Carney took turns carrying the ball on this drive, which set up Miller's first TD of the evening. Kevin ran the option toward the home sideline, faked a pitch and zig-zagged his way to a 20-yard tally.

Knash once again split the uprights and with 4:45 left in the opening stanza the lead had grown to 14-0.

Utter DominanceHonesdale's third offensive possession once again highlighted a diverse attack.

Sophomore fullback Pat Hart ran hard between the tackles, a fact that drew the Meteor defense in and once again opened up the passing lanes.

Miller hit both Gillow and Tim Russell for first downs, then capped an epic 85-yard march with a 20-yard touchdown toss to Carney. On this one, Kyle snagged a short swing pass out of the backfield, stiff-armed a Meteor to the turf and raced to paydirt.

Another perfect placement from Knash pushed the deficit to 21-0 midway through the second quarter.

Following a third Montrose punt, Honesdale rolled right downfield to punch in another score before intermission.

The highlights of this drive were a third down scramble by Miller and Carney's 40-yard eruption off left tackle. Kyle then capped the march by sweeping around left end and across the goal line from five yards away.

Much to the delight of an appreciative Homecoming crowd, the Hornets headed to the lockerroom with a 28-0 advantage.

Over & OutHonesdale sealed the deal on a big win with two more impressive drives in the third period.

Hart stepped back into the spotlight just after the break. Pat caught a pass for first down yardage, then rumbled for 11 more yards on the very next play. This set the stage for Miller's second TD toss of the night, a 10-yard look-in to Gillow.

Montrose did manage to block Knash's PAT try, but with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter, the Hornets were sitting pretty at 34-0.

The game's final score came courtesy of Miller from the defensive side. Kevin picked off a Meteor pass deep in his own end and raced 80 yards to The House. This was his second interception of the game and the final nail in Montrose's coffin.

Honesdale's defensive unit allowed southpaw quarterback Dylan Heeman just two completions for a meager 11 yards. He was sacked three times and picked twice.